Pneumatic carrier with adjustable closure mechanism

ABSTRACT

An improved pneumatic tube carrier is provided for transmitting papers, currency and other articles between various stations at locations within a building or building complex. The carrier hull is constructed of identical mating sections each formed in a generally semi-cylindrical shape from a single mold. The semi-cylindrical halves are hinged together along one longitudinal interface. A closure mechanism is provided at the opposite interface and includes a catch spring biased toward the hull. An adjustment mechanism limits the movement of the catch relative to the hull. Adjustment is possible to correct for catch disposition variations with prolonged use. Proper adjustment allows the hull to be self-latching upon closure. Adjustment is effectuated with the hull closed through a perforation near the hinged interface of hull sections, whereby an elongated tool is inserted into the perforation and is used to alter the adjusting mechanism.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to carriers for pneumatic tube systemswhich are used to transfer papers, currency and other articles betweenstations within a building or building complex. Carriers are movedwithin the tube system by applying air pressure to a tube on one side ofa carrier to propel the carrier away from the source of pressure. Suchpneumatic carrier tube systems are frequently installed in banks,hospitals and commercial retail sales establishments.

In the past, various mechanisms have been utilized as closure devicesfor pneumatic tube carriers. For example, many such carriers include anend cap that is hinged with respect to a cylindrical hull on one side ofthe hull and which has a latch that releasably fastens the end cap tothe opposite side of the hull in a closed position. Such carriers employa variety of fasteners, such as snap fasteners, elastic straps witheyeholes that fit over hooks, or straps that may be secured to bendableposts.

Other types of pneumatic tube carriers are of the side opening variety.One conventional form of such a carrier employs two generallysemi-cylindrical sections that are hinged along one longitudinal edge.The hinged sections may be swung toward or away from each other toeffectuate opening and closing of the carrier hull. Locking is achievedby virtue of the end caps, which may be twisted to effectuate threadedengagement of the caps onto the carrier hull ends when the hinged hullsections have been closed. That is, the end caps are rotated in such afashion as to be drawn towards each other onto the ends of the hull,thereby immobilizing the hull sections relative to each other. Rotationof the end caps in the opposite direction releases the hull sections andallows them to be opened.

One problem that exists in conventional pneumatic carriers is that thehull closure mechanisms are used so repeatedly and so frequently thatthey often break or become misadjusted. When the closure mechanismsbecome defective in this fashion, the carrier either becomes unuseableor requires an inordinately long time to manipulate in service. In thelatter instance users of the device frequently become disgusted andannoyed when fastening straps lose their elasticity and allow theircontents to spill in the pneumatic line or when the end caps do notproperly engage the hull, as in the case of conventional side openingcarriers. Also, closure catches of conventional carriers are frequentlyconstructed of small pieces which become dislodged or torn throughfrequent use, and which often open prematurely in the pneumatic carrierline, thus spilling the contents of the carrier tube in the line. Whenthis occurs, it forces a temporary shut down of the carrier tube system,or portion thereof in which the mishap has taken place. The pneumaticline can then not be reopened until the contents of the spilled carrierare retrieved, along with any broken or separated portions of theclosure mechanism.

A further drawback of conventional carriers is the typical hullconstruction of aluminum or other material which may easily be bent ordented. When this happens, the carrier hull loses its cylindricalsymmetry and thus does not travel smoothly through the pneumatic tubeline.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a carrier for apneumatic conveyor tube system with a closure mechanism for a sideopening hull arrangement that may be periodically adjusted as desired tocompensate for any variation of spring tension in the closure mechanism,for deformation of the closure catch or for any other alteration of theattitude of engagement of the closure mechanism which invariably resultsfrom prolonged use. The closure mechanism of the present invention is asturdy, rigid device mounted upon an indented shelf on one half of alongitudinally bifurcated carrier hull. The closure mechanism has a hooklatch that is spring biased toward the carrier hull so that it seeks aposition of engagement with the opposing half of the carrier hull. Thelimit toward the hull to which the hook latch is allowed to move isadjustable so that the closure mechanism may easily be maintained in astate of proper adjustment throughout a prolonged useful life.

Not only does the closure mechanism of the present invention prolong theperiod of uninterrupted use of the carrier, but the unique interactionof the hook latch with the hull provides a carrier in which closure ofthe hull sections together automatically effecuates engagement of theclosure mechanism. Contrary to conventional pneumatic tube carriers,separate actions by the user are not required first to close thecarrier, and then to engage the catch mechanism. Rather, properadjustment of the closure mechanism allows the hull section oppositethat upon which the closure mechanism is mounted, to force the hooklatch radially outward, overcoming the spring bias which tends to forcethe hook latch in the opposite direction radially toward the hull. Thisallows the two hull sections to be closed completely with the hook latchsnapping in behind a radial lip on the opposing hull section as that lippasses the hook to move into juxaposition next to the radial lip of thesection upon which the closure mechanism is mounted. The catch therebyentraps the lips together to maintain the carrier in a closed condition.

A further object of the invention is the formation of a carrier for apneumatic tube system from identically shaped generally semi-cylindricalhull sections. The modular production of hull sections in this mannerallows the two sections of the carrier hull to be manufactured ofplastic, such as polycarbonate, and produced from a single mold.Naturally the requirement for a single mold to produce both hullsections which can be fitted together in a reverse orientation relativeto each other reduces the tooling cost for producing carriers accordingto the invention by 50%. Such tooling costs are considerable inproducing a durable hull by injection molding which is the preferredmanner of construction.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a means foradjusting a closure mechanism on a side opening carrier for a pneumatictube conveyor system which can be adjusted while the carrier is closed.This is achieved by perforating one of the hull sections opposite theclosure mechanism, to accommodate an elongated tool which can beinserted into the hull to effectuate adjustment from within. Thisobviates the need for an adjustment mechanism on the outside of thecarrier, thereby contributing to an overall streamlined design whichaffords little opportunity for the adjustment mechanism to snag or catchwhile the carrier passes through the pneumatic carrier tube line.

Yet a further object of the invention is a construction of a carrierhull from plastic. While a plastic carrier is functionally equivalent toconventional steel, aluminum or cardboard carriers in some respects,plastic has the unique characteristic in that it has a certain "memory"for its original shape. That is, if twisted, struck or otherwisesubjected to abuse, the plastic of the carrier of the present inventionwill tend to return to its original shape. In contrast, metal orcardboard carriers, when subjected to heavy use, are frequentlypermanently bent or distorted, thus detracting from their geometricsymmetry and reducing their useful lives. Conventional carriers whichare deformed in this way do not maintain a good air seal in thepneumatic line nearly as well as does the present invention. Also,conventional carriers which have been bent or distorted frequently openin the carrier line during use, thus necessitating the closure of thepneumatic tube system as aforesaid.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pneumatic tube carrier according tothe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of the carrier taken along the lines2--2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a bifurcated carrier structure accordingto the present invention depicted with the hull in the opened condition.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the carrier of theinvention taken along the lines 4--4 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 depicts a carrier 10 for a pneumatic tube conveyor systemconstructed according to the present invention. The carrier 10 includesa hollow plastic cylindrical hull 12 formed of opposing identical matingsections 13 and 14 of generally semi-cylindrical geometry. When thecarrier 10 is closed, the semi-cylindrical sections 13 and 14 arepositioned together with their concave configurations facing each otherand with edges in mutual contact to form a wall which encloses acylindrical volume designated 15 in FIG. 2. Papers, samples, specimens,currency and other articles may be placed in the enclosure 15 fortransport through the pneumatic tube system.

Along one pair of the opposing longitudinal edges of thesemi-cylindrical carrier sections 13 and 14 a hinge 16 is formed. Theother edges of the carrier sections 13 and 14 meet and are joinedtogether by a closure mechanism 17, depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3 and incross sectional detail in FIG. 4. A pair of opposing circular felt endpads 18 having laminar circular air gaskets 19 associated therewith areprovided at opposite ends of the cylindrical body of the carrier 10, asdepicted in FIG. 1. The closure mechanism 17 has a releasable hook latchcatch 20 that is biased toward the cylindrical hull 12 by a coil spring21, as depicted in FIG. 4. The catch 20 thereby entraps the radialridge-like lips 22 formed in the semi-cylindrical hull sections 13 and14 to maintain the carrier 10 in a closed condition. A generally radialset screw 24, as depicted in FIG. 4, is provided to adjustably limit theextent of allowable radial approach of the catch 20 toward the hull 12.

The semi-cylindrical hull sections 13 and 14 are formed of polycarbonateplastic by injection molding in a conventional injection molding diewhich employs a water cooled jacket for curing. The plastic may becolored with any of a variety of dyes so that while generallytransparent, the carrier hull presents a colorful, aestheticallypleasing appearance. The hull sections 13 and 14 are formed withidentical longitudinally oriented semi-cylindrical walls 25 in which aredefined longitudinally centered transversely extending indented shelves26 that terminate in the radially outwardly aligned ridge-like lips 22depicted in detail in FIG. 4. On the longitudinal edges opposite theindented shelves 26, the walls 25 of the semi-cylindrical hull sections13 and 14 are formed with a series of knuckles 28 of equal width andspaced at intervals equal to the knuckle width, as depicted in FIG. 3.The hull sections 13 and 14 are positioned with the knuckles 28 of eachsection in a longitudinally aligned interlocking configuration. Theknuckles 28 are longitudinally drilled to accommodate an elongated axle29 which, together with the knuckles 28, forms the hinge 16 that allowsthe semi-cylindrical sections 13 and 14 to move in rotation relative toeach other to open and close the carrier enclosure 15.

The hull sections 13 and 14 are both molded with one end in the shape ofa disk 30 and with an opposite end 31 generally in the shape of asemi-circle. As depicted in FIGS. 1 and 3, laminar circular air gaskets19 of rubber impregnated cloth are located in contact with the outersurfaces of the disk-shaped ends 30 of the hull sections 13 and 14, anddisk-shaped felt end caps 18 are provided at the end extremities of thecarrier 10. Conventional self tapping metal screws 32 with hexagonalrecesses in the heads thereof adapted to receive an allen wrench extendthrough previously drilled holes in the disk shaped ends 30 of theplastic hull sections 13 and 14 to hold the gaskets 19 and end caps 18in position. The semi-circular ends 31 of the hull sections 13 and 14are molded with transverse concave indentations 33, so that as the hullsections 13 and 14 are rotated together about the hinge 16, thesemicircular ends 31 move in rotation interiorally adjacent relative tothe disk-shaped end sections 30 so that the indentations 33 allow thesemicircular hull ends 31 to clear the heads of the longitudinallyextending machine screws 32, as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The closure mechanism 17 is depicted in detail in FIG. 4 and has a baseplate 34 which is positioned with one longitudinal edge in abutmentagainst the radially extending lip 22 of the hull section 14. Anopposite longitudinally extending edge of the base plate 34 terminatesin a hinge at 35 to which a catch plate 36 is joined. Atop the catchplate 36 is located a stainless steel sheet metal catch 20 having onetransverse extremity 37 extending beyond the hinge 35 and having anotheredge terminating in a hook latch 38 forming an acute angle as indicatedat 39. The catch 20 is spot welded to the catch plate 36 along expansivesurfaces of mutual contact. The closure mechanism 17 is held in positionby slot head machine screws 40 which extend through drilled holes in theshelf 26 of the plastic hull section 14 into self tapping threadableengagement with the base plate 34. A coil spring 21 is wound about thespine of the hinge at 35 and acts upon the edge 37 of catch 20 and uponthe surface of the shelf 26 of hull section 14 to spring bias the hooklatch 38 of the catch 20 generally radially toward the axial center ofthe hull 12. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the semicircular wall 25 of hullsection 14 is perforated at 43 midway along the wall length and adjacentto the wall edge in which the knuckles 28 are formed. As depicted inFIGS. 2 and 4 an elongated tool 42 may be transversely inserted throughthe aperture 43 drilled in the semi-cylindrical wall 25 of the hullsection 14. The tool 42 depicted is an allen wrench which is insertedtransversely through the carrier 10 and is extended through theenclosure 15 to engage the allen head fitting in the set screw 24, whichin turn is threadably engaged with the shelf 26, with the base plate 34of the closure mechanism 17 and with a reinforcing block 45 welded tothe base plate 34. As can be seen particularly in FIG. 4, the allenwrench 42 may be used to adjust the position of the set screw 24 toadvance it toward the right to reduce the limit of the approach of thecatch 20 toward the hull 12. Conversely, the allen wrench 42 may beturned to advance the set screw 24 to the left, thus increasing thelimit of movement of the catch 20 toward the hull 12.

When the set screw 24 is appropriately adjusted, relative rotationalmovement of the hull sections 13 and 14 towards each other beginningfrom the open position depicted in FIG. 3 causes the lip 22 of hullsection 13 to strike the hook latch 38 and force it radially outward,overcoming the bias of spring 21. This is possible because the hooklatch 38 has been formed into the acute angle indicated at 39 so thatcatch 20 does not prevent movement of the lip 22 of hull section 13 pasthook latch 38, but rather yields to allow the passage of the lip 22 ofhull section 13. Thereafter, the bias of spring 21 again acts to forcethe hook latch 38 of catch 20 radially inward to the left as viewed inFIG. 4. In the engaged position of FIG. 4, the catch 20 acts to maintainthe lips 22 substantially in mutual contact as depicted. Thiseffectuates a complete closure of the carrier 10 so that any articles orpapers placed therein will be transferred securely through the pneumatictube system.

It should be noted that in closing the carrier 10 by rotation of thehull sections 13 and 14 from the position depicted in FIG. 3 to theposition depicted in FIG. 1, the closure mechanism 17 is automaticallyactuated. No separate step of engaging a closure device is necessarywith the carrier 10 of the present invention, as contrasted with priorart devices.

To open the carrier 10, an individual need merely depress the edge 37 ofcatch 20 with thumb or fingers. This overcomes the bias of the spring 21thus raising the catch 20 so that the hull sections 13 and 14 can bemoved in rotation about the hinge 16, thus drawing the lips 22 away fromeach other and opening the hull 12 of the carrier 10 to the positiondepicted in FIG. 3.

Care should be taken in the adjustment of the set screw 24 so that thecatch 20 does not extend outward beyond the circular line of the hull 12viewed in FIG. 4 when the catch 20 is under the uncounteracted influenceof the spring 21. Should the catch 20 be held too far to the right inFIG. 4 by the set screw 24 while still remaining in the closed orengaged position, it could snag or block movement of the carrier 10through the pneumatic tube line in which it is used.

The principal features of the present invention include the symmetry offormation of the hull sections 13 and 14, the automatic locking featureof the closure mechanism 17 upon rotation of the hull sections 13 and 14together to form the enclosure 15, and the adjustment of the set screw24 to vary the engaged position of catch 20 and the provision for suchadjustment from within the enclosure 15 by virtue of the aperture 43opposite the closure mechanism 17. This latter feature significantlyfaciliates the set screw adjustment process.

While but a single embodiment of the improved pneumatic tube carrier ofthe present invention has been depicted, it is to be understood thatnumerous modifications are possible. Accordingly, the scope of theinvention is not limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein,but rather is defined by the claims appended hereto.

I claim:
 1. A carrier for a pneumatic tube conveyor system comprising:ahollow cylindrical hull formed of opposing identical mating sectionsboth having generally semi-cylindrical walls with longitudinal edges,one edge of each wall being formed for a hinge connection with the othersection and the edges of said walls are formed with longitudinallycentered symetrical indented shelves each formed with a longitudinallyaligned radial lip; a pair of opposing circular end pads with airgaskets associated therewith affixed to the opposite ends of saidcylindrical hull; a closure mechanism mounted on the indented shelf ofone of said opposing mating hull sections and having a releasable catchspring biased toward said hull that when engaged, extends over theradial lip of the opposing hull section to entrap both of said radiallips to maintain said hull in closed condition, and including a .[.setscrew.]. .Iadd.closure limiting member .Iaddend.for .[.adjustably.].limiting the extent of radial movement of said catch having anengageable portion appearing at the underside of the shelf upon whichsaid closure mechanism is mounted, .[.and one of.]. said hull sections.[.is perforated adjacent to said hinge in longitudinal alignment withsaid closure mechanism, thereby.]. allowing access to said .[.setscrew.]. .Iadd.closure limiting member .Iaddend.by .[.an elongated.]..Iadd.a suitable .Iaddend.engaging tool .[.which can be inserted throughsaid perforation to extend across the interior of said hull.]. toeffectuate adjustment of said .[.set screw with said hull sectionsclosed together.]. .Iadd.closure limiting member.Iaddend..
 2. A carrierfor a pneumatic tube system comprising:a longitudinally bifurcated hullhaving two generally semi-cylindrical sections shaped for positioningtogether in facing arrangement to form a hollow enclosure and havingopposing end pads and air gaskets associated therewith, wherein saidgenerally semi-cylindrical sections are hinged at one longitudinalinterface and meet at an opposing longitudinal interface in a pair oflongitudinally extending radially oriented lips, and a closure mechanismis mounted on one semi-cylindrical hull section with a catch mechanismtranversely extending to engage the lip of the opposing hull section toentrap said lips together when said closure mechanism is engaged,wherein said catch is radially spring biased toward said hull, and limitadjustment means is provided for altering the limit of movement of saidcatch relative to said enclosure, wherein said limit adjustment means isa tapped set screw axially engageable for adjustment from within saidenclosure, and said hull is perforated opposite said catch to allowaccess for adjustment of said set screw by means of a tool positioned toextend through said hull and across said enclosure, whereby adjustmentof the limit of movement of said catch can be performed with said hullclosed, and said catch is a hook latch rotatably mounted for rotationupon a longitudinal axis and having a hook extremity formed in an acuteangle, whereby closure of said semi-cylindrical hull sections togethercauses said lip of said opposing hull section to force said hookradially outward to allow passage of said lip of said opposing sectionto effectuate hull closure and thereafter allows said hook to assumesaid engaged position entrapping said lips together when said hullsections have been moved into position to effectuate complete enclosure.